Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: comparative religious traditions

Religion

Each religion has its own religious traditions. It is interesting to look at three different religions and determine the meaning of terms and traditions which are specific to each one.

Judaism

In Judaism, three terms which need to be explored are Passover, Zionism, and Hanukah. Passover is "a holiday observing the period in history when the Jewish people were freed from slavery (http://www.christ-centered.net/passover.html)." It "refers to the fact that God 'passed over' the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt (http://www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm)."

Today, Jewish followers celebrate Passover by with a Seder. "Seder means order, and Jewish people read the Passover story in a special order from a book called Haggadah. Haggadah means, 'to tell' and the story is told of Jewish ancestors and their bondage and journey to freedom (http://www.christ-centered.net/passover.html)." The Jewish people are reminded they are free through the reading of the story.

The observance of Passover starts on "the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan (http://www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm)."

Zionism is "the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/zionism.html)."

The Zionist movement began when "Jews of all persuasions, left and right, religious and secular, (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/zionism.html)" decided the best way to obtain the goals was by working together. While there were conflicts among the groups, the movement reached its goal of "a Jewish state in its ancient homeland (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/zionism.html)."

Hanukah is also known as the Festival of Lights or Feast of Dedication. Hanukah is Hebrew for dedication, and is "celebrated for eight days in the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually occurs in mid to late December (http://www.everythingjewish.com/Hanukah/origins.htm)."

Hanukah is a rememberance of the "struggle for religious freedom and commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Hellenistic Syrians in the year 165 B.C.E. (http://www.everythingjewish.com/Hanukah/origins.htm)."

Christianity

In Christianity, three terms which are important to the religion are Pentecost, Anglican Church, and Jesuits.

Christians believe that "on the Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus (50 days from the Passover in which he was crucified), the Holy Spirit, according to the Acts of the Apostles, descended on the disciples in the form of tongues of fire accompanied by the sound of a rush of wind, and gave them the power of speaking in such a way that people of different languages could understand them (unknown)."

Pentecost is an important feast in both the Christian and Jewish faiths. The "Christian feast of Pentecost is an annual commemoration of the event, and it is solemnly observed as the birthday of the church and the feast of the Holy Spirit (unknown)."

The Anglican Church "began in the sixth century in England, when Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine to Britain to bring a more disciplined Apostolic succession to the Celtic Christians. The Anglican Church evolved as part of the Roman church, but the Celtic influence was folded back into the Roman portion of the church in many ways. Despite the apostolic succession, the church is actually separate from the Roman church (http://anglican.org/church/ChurchHistory.html)."

While the "name 'Anglican' means 'of England', the Anglican church exists worldwide (http://anglican.org/church/ChurchHistory.html)." Colonization by the English and missionaries who spoke English is the main means in which the church spread around the globe.

St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540 with just seven followers. St. Ignatius was a "Spanish Basque soldier who underwent an extraordinary conversion while recuperating from a leg broken by a cannon ball in battle. He wrote down his experiences which he called his Spiritual Exercises and later founded the Society of Jesus with the approval of Pope Paul III (http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/jmac/sj/sjhist.htm)."

Since its humble beginnings, the number of Jesuits in the world has "grown to 24,000 members who work out of 1,825 houses in 112 countries. In the intervening years many Jesuits became renowned for their sanctity (41 Saints and 285 Blesseds), for their scholarship in every conceivable field, for their explorations and discoveries, but especially for their schools (http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/jmac/sj/sjhist.htm)." Today, the General Congregations is the authority which presides over the Society.

Islam

When exploring Islam, three terms which need to be understood are Salet, Umma, and Hijra.

Salat is the daily prayer of Muslims and is the second of the five pillars of Islam. These prayers are obligatory, "performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshiper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Quran, chosen by congregation (http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~islam/salat.html)."

The five times Muslims say Salat are "dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities (http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~islam/salat.html)."